THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CORRUPTION

Fire kills and maims thousands of people every year. But fire is not the killer in the same sense that the gun is not the killer. The killers

by fire are those who profit from fire and who have maximized their profits by corrupting the fire codes to guarantee the

continuity of fire.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) was founded in 1896 by the fire insurance industry and published its first standard, NFPA 13 - Standard for Installation of Sprinkler Systems - during 1897. The insurers needed sprinkler protection for the huge and high hazard industrial properties which, at that time were burning at a rate that was bankrupting many insurers. However, smaller buildings such as residences and compartmented buildings such as hotels, hospitals and apartment houses did not produce losses great enough to warrant sprinkler protection from the insurer’s viewpoint. Usually only one fire rated compartment of a so called “fireproof” building burned at one time. Small and compartmented buildings produced greater profits for the insurers when not sprinkler protected because much higher insurance rates could be justified. So, beginning in 1897 the NFPA began its code making operations with a code intentionally designed to prevent the very best solution to fire maintained unavailable for protecting the great majority of the building types where human life was most at risk.

FIRE REGULATORS ARE SUPPORTED BY FIRE PROFITEERSDuring 1907 Underwriters’ Laboratories began its factory inspection

services. The UL Lab tested products and system being marketed. When the products and systems passed, the UL Label could be attached to the items and this presumably represented a “guarantee” the device was safe and would properly perform as represented by the manufacturer and seller. Both UL and the NFPA derived funding largely from those organizations that made profits from fire (including the insurers) or otherwise benefited from fire (including the fire services). The bottom line is that fire is the business of the fire business.

FIRE DEPARTMENTS NEEDED FIRE CODESThe educational level of nearly all who became fire fighters in America was

high school or less. Hence, the fire fighter who moved up to became an inspector or plan reviewer nearly always was devoid of a formal education in architecture, engineering, construction, science or technology. But these inspectors and construction plan reviewers had to evaluate and approve or disapprove enormous construction projects and many highly complex industrial operations. This need of the fire services in time was filled by many codes and standards produced by the NFPA. Also, when approvals of equipment such as fire pumps, electrical equipment and other fire related apparatus were necessary, “certifications” by Underwriters’ Laboratories were relied upon. Thus, to a very large degree, when the fire department needed to inspect and approve projects, the inspector/plan

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reviewer simply checked conditions relative the NFPA codes and also made sure that the equipment and systems had a UL label. The NFPA code and the UL Label became the technical expertise of the fire department professional. Obviously, the fire services supported the codes and “justified” them when questions relative their honesty was questioned.

THE NFPA/UL TEAM CONTROLS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF COMMERCE

By the early years of the 20th century, the team of NFPA and UL gained the powers to control a huge segment of the American commerce. Thus, non government regulators could control and profit from their ability to control of a great percent of America’s gross national product. Behind this non-government regulatory system the fire insurer industry and the fire services added additional muscle to the NFPA/UL powers to control commerce. State and local legislators were very quick to support the fire services with supplemental legislation. Behind all of this the profit motive of those businesses that marketed fire related systems and products had great influence on the NFPA codes and the UL testing and certifications. Those who could profit from fire became the primary supporters of the NFPA/UL control system. This NFPA/UL regulatory system existed and functioned essentially free of any oversight by government. Indeed, during my many years in the fire protection field it has been my impression that the NFPA/UL managers and engineers had the federal, state and local government engineers and administrators “in their pockets”.

FIRE TECHNOLOGY STAGNATESDuring the 20th century the technical progress in America was spectacular.

Automobiles, airplanes, war machines, communication, computers and you name it experienced enormous progress. However, the NFPA code and the UL test procedures and certifications remained static. What was especially harmful to society was that the sprinkler technology became stagnated by an NFPA code that prevented the marketing of this system in a form that could be oriented toward protecting human life as opposed to protecting large industrial properties. There was one reason for this stagnation of protection; sprinkler systems had the capability to reduce fire losses and fire deaths by 99 percent or more. This is not just a claim; this is the valid loss data that has been developed over a period exceeding 100 years. (Confirmation is available upon request.) Those who controlled fire technology did not wish to eliminate fire losses because fire losses created the need for that which was marketed (other than sprinklers). There was no significant change in fire sprinkler technology prior to the research into sprinklers that I initiated during the 1950s. And whereas I was able to create major advancements in sprinkler design and fire safety technology in general, every step of the way the NFPA has been there to do all that they could to denigrate my work and to limit the advancements. Because my research and developments represented threats to greatly reduce the fire losses, more than any other person I have experienced the dark side of what we call the “fire safety field”.

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PREVENTING “WITHIN-THE-BUILDING” PROTECTIONThe fundamental objective of the NFPA/UL regulatory system has been to

prevent the installation of protective systems within the great majority of buildings in America, especially including homes. So long as any protective system (that could result in the immediate application of water spray to the still tiny fire) was kept out of buildings; these non protected buildings would continue to frequently suffer major out-of-control fires. Fire losses in America would continue to be enormous. An enormous fire loss experience is the driving force behind expenditures of (as estimated by the NFPA) more than 300 billion dollars a year. Those billions of dollars are mainly going to those organizations that profit from or otherwise benefit from fire. (Actually, I believe the true cost of building fires in America is at least several times the NFPA estimate.) Note that so long as the means to terminate the early fire immediately (before it can grow large and deadly) is denied to the public; a very significant percent of all building fires will grow large and deadly. Only the remote fire services will be able to control the large fires.

RELIABLE FIRE DETECTORS ARE ALSO AN ENEMY TO THE SYSTEM

A reliable and honest fire detection system in homes would also be a way to near eliminates the large and deadly fires. I say that an honest fire detection system combined with a small at-the-ready (easy to handle) hose with fog nozzle would reduce fire deaths by probably 95 percent or more. If alerted when the incipient fire was still tiny and not yet a threat to life, it would be very easy to kill it. In most cases just one shot of water vie a fog nozzle will terminate the fire threat. With proper equipment it would be easy to kill the early and small fire before it reaches killing size. Thus, a reliable fire detection system and an effective fire control device would be close to a 100 percent solution to the unwelcome fire. Even if the occupants decided to not attempt to control the still tiny fire, a reliable warning would allow safe exiting.

FREQUENTLY BURNING HOMES ARE A NECESSITYHomes are the cash cow of the fire insurance industry. And it is the home

fires and fire deaths and disfigurements, especially involving children, that motivates the public to support the fire services. The human fear of fire is so great that, so long as the people believe there is no solution to fire except the fire department, the fire services will enjoy a very special position among the government bureaucracies. So long as the home fires burn brightly, the public will gladly finance close spaced fire stations, high salaries and excellent retirement benefits for firefighters, the excessively elaborate and god awful costly apparatus and the many perks. The burning of homes and people (especially children) is the grand motivator behind the entire fire regulatory system. Therefore, above all else, the NFPA/UL regulatory system has resisted the development of affordable fire sprinkler systems and reliable fire detection systems for homes.

PHONY SMOKE DETECTORS ARE SOLD INTO 80 MILLION HOMES

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To be certain the American home remained devoid of reliable fire detection systems, fire testing was deliberately and cleverly falsified. The testing of the ionization type (phony) smoke detector was falsified at Underwriters’ Laboratories. A federally funded field test of the fire detectors was rigged and falsified to discredit the installation of heat detectors and to hide the defects of the ionization device. A report of tests conducted by fire officials that confirmed the ionization device to be defective and a killer was “buried”, never to see the light of day again. In reality there have been four decades of smoke detector performance claims that were outright lies. Rigged fire tests, intimidation, a “kangaroo court” legal decision and extraordinary corruption were all employed to prevent the installation of reliable fire detectors into homes. Today an estimated 80 to 90 percent of all homes in America are equipped with a so called “smoke” detector type that is so phony it has been named a “killer of children” by a New York court of law (report available upon request).

CORRUPTED FIRE TESTS BLOCK AFFORDABLE RESIDENTIAL SPRINKLERS

If reliable fire detectors were considered intolerable to the ghouls of fire, an affordable fire sprinkler system was doubly so. If sprinklers were to be installed in all homes the fire deaths and injuries would almost completely disappear. Homes account for approximately 95 percent of all fire deaths caused by building fires. It is the destruction of human life (especially the children) that is the primary motivator for the expenditures of monies for fire protection. So, the NFPA organized a fire test program prior to the 1980s NFPA convention where the issue of residential sprinklers was on the agenda. This test program and the subsequent report were falsified to justify a “minimum water supply demand” for residential sprinklers of 40 gallons a minute (gpm). Since a normal home is normally supplied water through a 3/4 inch or a one inch supply line (often with a high friction loss meter), the amount of water available within a home for fire control is only in the 5 to 15 gpm range. The NFPA, based on dishonest testing, was able to create a code that set the minimum water supply (gpm) for a residential sprinkler system much greater than a home would have. The rigged testing and report lies “justified” a minimum water supply demand of 40 gpm. This in turn created a residential system so costly that nearly all new built homes have been built without protection. To protect an existing home with sprinklers would be even far more costly. So, thanks to a very corrupt NFPA the American home has been maintained close to 100 percent devoid of honest fire detectors and affordable fire sprinkler systems.

THE U. S. FIRE LOSSES ARE INTENTIONALMore than a hundred years practical but crude and expensive solutions to

the fire problem were developed. But the NFPA created regulations to stagnate the technologies. I have proven that the early and basic solutions can be readily modernized to create easy and affordable solutions to fire. Indeed, a 99 percent reduction in fire deaths and property loss (as related to building fires) is quite possible. However, fire losses also produce profiteers that benefit from fire. For a hundred years those who have the responsibility to protect the public have betrayed

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the people. Why? Because these solutions to fire eventually could near eliminate large and deadly fires. But these solutions are not tolerable to those who benefit from fires. Therefore, The NFPA and UL have created codes and regulations that guarantee the continuity of fire. Yes, building fires are mainly the intentional result of dishonest “fire safety specialists” who create the corrupted codes. .

YOU CAN SAVE A CHILDFire is not the killer just as a gun is not the killer. No, the killers are those

who have deliberately and knowingly put great effort into corrupting the fire technology for profits and benefits. There is nothing stated above that cannot be backed with facts. Indeed, there is a great abundance of evidence of criminal behavior relative the fire regulatory system that is now posted on the internet. The ability of those (who controlled fire technology) to silence those who would report the truth is ending. The internet allows the truth to emerge. If you care enough about little children being burned alive so that dirty money can be earned, go to this web site for instructions relative the ways to protect homes and other properties and human life:

www.TheWorldFireSafetyyFoundation.orgOther web sites that provide information that will help defeat those who would destroy lives for money are shown below. It is up to you, the average citizen, to protect the children from fire because those who have been trusted to do so have betrayed you.

EVIL WINS WHEN GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING.

www.Firecrusade.com and www.AmericasHolocaust.org

RICHARD M. PATTON, FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER AUTHOR, THE AMERICAN HOME IS A FIRE TRAP

THE CRUSADE AGAINST FIRE DEATHSrmpatton@surewest.net

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